The Essence of Life

Monday, September 3, 2012

Algoma Bear Hunt

Ursus americanus

Two years
ago this week my friend Bob Scott and I came back from our first, and so far
only, black bear hunt.

We hunted
with Jeff Helms of Agawa Canyon Outfitters. Jeff lives most of the year in
Grand Rapids – MI, but from July through September he exiles himself in
Ontario, or more precisely the Algoma Sustainable Forest, about one hundred
miles East of Wawa.

Some
place deep inside the Algoma Forest is Half-Way Heaven, a lodge known for the
price of their gas that caters for snowmobilers during the winter and hunters
in the fall.

Half-Way
Heaven is Jeff’s headquarters during bear season, and the owners Gail and
Steve, along with Billie, the god, and John, the “nefu”, took excellent care of us, which included a long trip to the
nearest town to buy chocolate milk and Oreos for my breakfast.

During
fall black bears eat up to twenty thousand calories per day in order to prepare
for the winter hibernation, and in order to keep the bears around Jeff keeps
between twenty and thirty active bear bates, each with a tree-stand or other
suitable shooting “platform”.

The
carefully prepared bate is a mix of marshmallow, chocolate fudge and cherry pie
filling, and every other day or so a half gallon is deposited in the bottom of
a 55-gallon drum. A cover is placed on top with a heavy rock over it to prevent
smaller animals from getting to the bait. Caramel is poured over the rock, and
“liquid smoke” generously spread all around.

In order
to estimate the size of the bear a piece of frozen beaver (courtesy of Steve’s
winter trapping) hangs from a tree, and if a bear can reach it then it should
be a shooter.

We got to
the lodge on a Monday morning, and after proving to Jeff that we could hit a
stationary target at twenty yards or so we had a light lunch and got ready to
go to the stands by mid-afternoon.

Besides
minimum shooting proficiency, Jeff’s require two basic pieces of equipment from
all hunters; rubber boots in order not to leave human scent on the trail and
“cut in contact” fixed broad heads for bow hunters.

Jeff
placed me on my tree-stand around 3:30 PM, baited the barrel making plenty of
noise (sort of ringing the dinner bell), and told me that someone would be back
around 10:30 or 11:00 PM to get me.

Then the
game of waiting began. I started counting minutes (I was advised against
bringing a book as Jim, a fellow hunter, dropped his book and scared a bear
away the previous year), observing squirrels and birds, and dedicating time to
“philosophy”. I would look at the bate barrel frequently, but all was calm.
Then some ruffed grouse came to a log not thirty feet away, opposite the bait,
and I was admiring these wonderful birds.

Then,
when I looked at towards the bait one more time there it was, a bear standing
on its hind feet and snatching the beaver from the tree. The bear had not made
any noise at all and I was not even sure for how long it had been there.

I could
not take my eyes from the bear anymore. It came down on its hour paws and
started licking the caramel from the rock. Suddenly it slapped the barrel and
tumbled it. Then the bear walked away into the bush and my heart began to sink.
But soon it returned.

The bear
started to feed on the bait and as it got inside the barrel for the first time
I was able to get my bow ready.

The angle
that the barrel had fallen prevented the optimum “quartering away” shot, and I
had to press my back against the tree to get a better angle, almost broadside.
As the bear got inside the barrel once again, I pulled the bow to full draw and
released the arrow.

I was so
focused that I actually could see the fletching disappear into the bear coat.

The bear
turned back and growled at the same time, and then ran towards the woods, but I
could see it go down not ten yards away. The final below came in seconds, and
there was a great silent in the northern woods.

I came
down from the tree-stand, walked to the bear and snapped some pictures. Then I
looked at my watch and it was 5:32 PM, and I had decision to make, I could
either wait for another five hours or walk the ten kilometers to the lodge. I
choose the walk.

Two hours
later I faced a group of happy people having cold beers around the bonfire and
asking me why I was back so soon. Had I given up?

the easiest method to find out about a hunting a bear generally would be to research by yourself with experience. Most predators after a number of bear tracks plus some effective harvests will have the ability to get it done by themselves and save a great deal of cash. So, theoretically an unskilled hunter with a lot of money to spare will discover a guide worthwhile for them. Sadly, most predators will discover bear hunting guides to become over listed and lower right not well worth the trip

When considering hunting, think about a introduced search. Don't contemplate it an effective way of hunting concerning it truly is not. It is a simpler manner in which enables you should results. Going to a brand new, unfamiliar spot for hunting is type of like likely to experience a test if you did not can review with this particular all - it isn't exactly fair.

About Me

Rodrigo Tardelli Meirelles was born in Brazil, in 1969, and raised on the family farm, Fazenda Taboa, in close contact with the outdoors. By his own definition a dreamer and an explorer, Rodrigo was launched at a young age into a journey in search of knowledge that took him across countries and continents, and the world became the fertile ground where the stories in this book were planted and are now being harvested. True to the pioneer spirit Rodrigo set himself to explore the world, working and raising a family while maintaining his dreams alive and pursuing his passion for hunting and shooting wherever he goes. He currently lives in Traverse City, Michigan, with his wife Maria José, children Maria Eduarda and Daniel and their black lab Tupã.